


This could be everything

by elletromil



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Alternate Universe - MMORPG, Alternate Universe - Rapunzel Fusion, Banter, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Ghosts, Happy Ending, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-20 12:37:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: Be they gamers, ghost hunters, retired spies turned detectives or fairy tales characters, Merlin and Harry always meet and fall in love. This is their love story told through the universes.





	1. This is how it could start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anarchycox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anarchycox/gifts).



> Probably when you see the title you think 'awww this is totally about how love is important or something'. Then if you read the tags or the summary you realise that maybe, it's possible that not only it IS about love, but the title is also a play on how, yes, this could possibly be EVERYTHING.
> 
> I liked all the prompts. I couldn't choose. I didn't want to choose. So I found a way to write it all. All the ficlets are losely connected as in it's Merlin and Harry's relationship, but they can all be read as stand-alone too. I really hope you will enjoy them Anarchycox because I had a blast writing them :)
> 
> Also thank to my beta reader/cheerleader, they know who they are ;)

“You’re… an amazon?”

Harry is used to getting shite for his choice of character in the game. He’s used to people assuming he chose it based only on how the default avatar was so scantily clad. He usually doesn’t bother explaining it, but it’s also the first time he’s considering joining a guild long-term instead of just teaming up with random people whenever he needs to.

“Well yes. Of all the warrior classes, not only are they among the strongest, but they’re also the more agile. What they lose in defense can be easily rectified if one is to take the time to look for a practical armor.” And look Harry had. A long time. The real trick had been about finding an armor that was more than just a glorified bikini.

“What about the knights? They’re definitely the strongest and you don’t need to find any special equipment to raise _their_ defense.”

“You have a point there, but any armor they put on cancels the few agility points they have. And if I won’t make a female avatar parade around naked, I won’t be doing it for a male character either. That’s just crass. What about you? A wizard? Isn’t it playing right into the stereotypes?”

Don’t get him wrong. He’s got nothing against wizards, in fact a well-rounded party _needs_ at least one, but did the man really need to take on _Merlin_ as a username?

“I am all for owning up to the cliches. And I think you will soon find out that I won’t disappoint any expectations you might have placed on such a name. Let’s wait and see if the same can be said about you.”

Harry’s got a reply ready, but before he can say anything to defend his own title, GentlemanGalahad, he’s interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

“As entertaining as listening to you two flirt is, could we maybe leave and go clear that dungeon out?” That’s from LadyLancelot, the party’s assassin and leader. That she is the one speaking is the only reason Harry doesn’t protest. She’ll be the one to decide if he stays or not in case of a tie when they vote later on, so there’s no reason to piss her off pointlessly. That and he’s pretty sure from her exasperated tone of voice that she is seconds away from killing them both and going into the dungeon without them.

“I’m not flirting!” Apparently, Merlin doesn’t have the same fears as he does or if so, he doesn’t care.

Unfortunately for him, his outburst only results in a lot of cackling from the other members of the guild, cackling that only gets worse when Eggscalibur speaks up.

“Puh-lease, Merls, I’ve heard and seen you flirt. This is totally you flirting.”

More protests from Merlin are only met with a ‘ _the wizard doth protest too much, methinks_ ’ and the man is only saved from further embarrassment when LadyLancelot calls them to order.

“Enough! Seriously if you’re not here to play, just fucking leave. I’ll clear this dungeon alone if I have to!”

Somehow, Harry doesn’t doubt her for a second and he’s no longer sure anymore if he wants the position in the guild so that he get a chance to play alongside her or so that he can find out if anything will come out of Merlin’s ‘non-flirting’.

It’s an hour later, victorious and having seamlessly combined most of his attacks with nearly all of the wizard’s spells, that he can say for sure that he wants to stay for Merlin.

He’s always had a thing for grumpy people after all and the grumpiness paired up with his accent is all Harry needs to get a proper crush.

So it’s kind of a good thing they all unanimously vote to keep him on the team.


	2. This is how they could admit their love

“This place gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

They’ve just parked the car in front of Kingsman Manor, an old estate that is currently being converted into an high-end hotel. Or it would be if the crew working on the renovation as well as the new owners weren’t being terrorized by ghosts.

Considering that everyone has vacated the premises, either it’s very real or the owners are pulling some kind of publicity stunt.

One way or the other, Harry doesn’t really care. Whether or not there are real ghosts here, he’ll get paid for the episode by the network.

Still, even if he feels a bit uneasy, he refuses to let his first impression, or Eggsy’s, influence the rest of his stay here.

“Really? The ‘heebie-jeebies’?”

“What? It’s a totally valid term in the medium circles!”

“Maybe so, but isn’t it a tad dramatic?”

He’s surprised when instead of bantering with him like he expected him to, Eggsy scowls and storms out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

“Harry…” He doesn’t need to turn toward Merlin to know he’ll be looking at him with clear disappointment, so he doesn’t, and instead he makes sure that Eggsy isn’t wandering too far away.

The fact that even while he is obviously upset with Harry he still doesn’t get out of view is far from reassuring, only further proof that he truly feels uncomfortable here.

Nonetheless, it’s not enough to make him admit that he might share Eggsy’s opinion.

“What? You cannot tell me you don’t think the same.”

“I can’t. But Harry, when has Eggsy ever played up the drama?”

Never, that’s the answer, and the reason why the boy has been a regular on the show for the past 5 seasons when before him, they would never re-invite psychics and mediums back for a second episode.

He feels bad now, watching Eggsy kick gravel with his arms crossed around his chest, because while the less outside influences in his observations, the better it is, he’s been trusting the boy for years now. Harry shouldn’t dismiss him simply because he’s having a bad feeling for once.

“I’ve been a git again, haven’t I?”

“You never really stop being one. But that’s no excuses. Go apologize. And put on the glasses please.”

“You want me to film my apology?”

“Yes, because my glasses were already on when you pissed Eggsy off and I don’t want James complaining that he cannot use the footage because you didn’t think to give him a nice resolution to the conflict.”

Harry groans but doesn’t protest any further before leaving the car to follow after Eggsy. He doesn’t like having to show to their viewership that he’s not above making mistake, but he prefers appearing like a flawed human being once in awhile rather than having their producer hound on him for ruining his chance to show the dynamics of their little team of ghost hunters.

*

It’s not quite evening when the rest of the team finally gets to the Manor, but the shadows are definitely getting longer on the ground. They should still have plenty of time to set all the equipment in the rooms before the sun sets, but they won’t have much time to get their bearings in the manor.

“What happened, you got lost?”

Merlin is frowning when he asks Roxy as he helps them get their half of the equipment out of the car and so is Harry. Roxy has a phenomenal sense of direction and they usually rely on her whenever they’re not sure of where they are.

“ _James_ got lost.” They all wince when she slams the door behind her after getting the last camera out. “ _I_ did just fine when he surrendered the wheel to me.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault the GPS started acting up!”

Roxy looks at their producer, highly unimpressed.

“It’s your fault because I _told_ you it would act up, what with the amount of energies overflowing around here. But no! You had to insist on driving!”

James at least has the decency to look sheepish when Roxy points it out, but Harry is more concerned about those _energies_ she mentioned.

“Is this place giving you the heebie-jeebies too?” He doesn’t put any special inflection on the word this time, willing to make an effort not to disregards Eggsy’s valid concerns this time around. Judging from the boy’s small smile, his efforts are noticed and appreciated.

His bad feeling only gets worst when Roxy bites her lower lip after throwing an uneasy look at Kingsman Manor.

“I-” she stops herself before starting again, but it’s obvious to all of them that this is not what she had wanted to say at first. “Let’s just say I strongly insist that no one goes on their own tonight. Especially during dead hour.”

It would be hard to dismiss both their resident medium and resident Wiccan’s worries, but not impossible.

And Harry hadn’t really planned on it, not after being admonished in the car by Merlin earlier, but when Percival speaks up in turn, his priest’s collar and cross uncharacteristically in perfect display, Harry starts wondering if it wouldn’t be best to give up on this particular case.

“I must agree with Roxy. It will be safer to at the very least be paired up at all times.”

There is still plenty of daylight left and yet, even James seems more than ready to follow Percival’s suggestion to play it safe for once.

*

They’re done putting the various equipment in all the spots they had been told had frequent activity and Harry is just finishing relating the Manor’s past to Merlin in what will be the introduction shot for this episode.

None of the team is unaware of the details of course, but the audience that will tune in next month after the editing is completed won’t have any way to know that Kingsman Manor had been a sanatorium for a couple of decades before being left in abandon. Nor the rumors about what happened between its walls during those years before the current owners decided to turn it into a high end hotel.

“No offense to anyone, but seriously who the fuck sees an old sanatorium and decides it’ll be a nice place for a hotel? I swear some people have no judgement _at all_.”

“Language lad, it’s annoying having to edit out your colourful language every time.”

Merlin’s words would be more believable if he hadn’t sniggered at Eggsy’s comment. Anyway after five years, they’ve all accepted that the boy won’t change himself, not even for the steady paycheck. And quite frankly, they don’t really want him to.

Even James delights in the obvious differences between their team’s members and raves on and on _and on_ about how it’s one of the thing that pulls in the audience besides the scary factor.

“Alright, I think we are ready to go. Do we still all agree on the plan? Go explore in groups of two and come back to the ballroom for dead hour?” He doesn’t really expects anyone to protest, and they don’t, but it’s only good manners to ask one last time and for all of the team to agree again. “I think we’ve all noticed how maze-like this place is, so let’s try not to wander too far. And make sure you not only have your flashlights but your spare batteries as well please.”

They aren’t ones to take chances with safety in the first place, but they all double-check their equipment before going out in pairs.

It’s pretty rare that a case calls for the whole team to come in like this, that they really get a choice of who to pair up with. Not that it should have mattered, but James had a good point when he suggested they shake things up a little and no one goes with their usual partners.

It’s a small concession to make in order to add some “drama factor” to the episode. Not that they don’t all get along, but their viewers are used to certain duos or trios. Harry himself cannot remember the last time he’s not make the rounds with Merlin or Eggsy, or if Roxy has ever done them with anyone but Eggsy.

He’s surprised to notice that Percy is lingering on the stairs leading to the first floor, their assigned area for the night, worrying at his lower lip with his teeth.

“I wish no one were going to the basement,” he explains before Harry can even ask. “There’s something even more… ‘not quite right’ down there.”

Trust Percival to make the most understated of observations.

“Unfortunately, that’s one of the hotspots of activity, so we can’t avoid it. But Roxy can take care of herself and besides you, I think she is the only one who can actually rein James in.”

Not that Harry thinks he’ll need much reining in. James might have insisted on getting the basement, but he wouldn’t do anything dangerous, not even for the sake of an episode.

“You’re right, thank you.”

They smile at each other and the only reason there is a tightness to it is the heavy atmosphere they can feel hanging in the Manor.

“Shall we?”

Percival nods, following Harry’s lead. If they walk closer together than they usually would, neither mentions it.

In fact, they don’t speak much, not until they hear the strange whispery sounds the workers have mentioned hearing everywhere in the house.

“Could that be the wind?”

“Doubtful, the windows are the first thing the owners have had repaired and re-insulated.” Of course, it doesn’t mean the job has been done well, but with the kind of money that is being thrown in the project, chances are good that no corners have been cut short. “Old pipes?”

Percival throws him a look a pure disbelief before answering.

“Harry, I’ve lived in buildings with old pipes making very odd noises, but they’ve never actually _called out my name_.”

There is nothing he can answer to that, so he simply gestures toward where he thinks the murmur-like sounds are coming from. They're here to investigate after all, to make sure all of this isn’t some kind of joke, a recording left to scare them.

But as he hears his name, his _complete_ first name, he thinks more and more that this is the genuine stuff.

The only person left alive to know his parents thought it a good idea to name him _Hardick_ of all thing is Merlin and he would never reveal this secret, not for such a cheap joke.

*

They never find out where the whispers are coming from and after a while they simply stop looking, worried they will get lost. Anyway, with all the activity they’ve recorded in the meantime, they’ll have plenty to analyze come morning.

He’s not surprised to see Merlin and Eggsy waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs instead of the ballroom when dead hour comes nearer and they all silently agree to go wait at the basement door for the rest of their team.

It doesn’t take long before James appears up the stairs, looking a bit wary but otherwise fine.

“Where’s Roxy?”

Now, they’ve been doing the show for years and if they’ve had some definitely weird nights, Harry’s never felt like they were actually in any real danger. Even earlier, while he was walking around in cold spot after cold spot with objects flying at their heads, he hadn’t really ever _feared_ for their safety.

This abruptly changes when James spins on himself at Eggsy’s question and Harry catches the look of panic on his face.

“What? But- She was just behind me I swear!”

She obviously isn’t anymore and they don’t need to consult each other before they all hurry down the stairs, Eggsy in the lead.

He’s barely made it ten steps into the basement proper before he freezes in place and Harry can hear him choke on apparently nothing.

Luckily, as soon as Percival makes it to where he is and he puts a steadying hand on his shoulder, Eggsy all but sags against the priest, greedily gulping on air.

It’s some time before he catches his breath, but the only explanation he offers to their worried looks does nothing to reassure them.

“Whatever was with you, it wasn’t Rox.”

Harry expects James to protest, to say something about how he would have noticed something like that, but instead he only shivers.

“She… She stopped speaking at one point and I- I just felt… chilly?”

Eggsy nods as if James has just proved a point for him.

“It doesn’t want us here… Especially not Percy, it’s too scared of him.”

“Yes,” Percival confirms, deliberately stepping closer to their medium, “I felt it… ‘run away’, for a lack of a better term, when I came closer. And not to argue with you, because I do think you are mostly right, but Eggsy, it wants _you_.”

That Eggsy doesn’t scoff at the idea is all they need to know that Percival is right and Eggsy felt the same thing, but somehow didn’t think it important enough to mention it.

“Alright, that’s it. Eggsy, James, you get your arses back upstairs, preferably out in the cars-”

“What! Merlin, no! Rox is still missing and we really shouldn’t separate!”

“Eggsy’s right. I won’t state the obvious about horror movies because let’s not be cliche and tempt fate more than we already did, but we should stay together. Anyway, I am the only one that knows more or less where Roxy disappeared.”

As loath as he is to admit it, Harry do think James is right for once. And even if he wasn’t, James and Eggsy can definitely out-stubborn Merlin if they do it together.

“Okay, you have a point,” he does his best to ignore Merlin’s dark look, “and the longer we stay here debating, the longer Roxy is left alone. Eggsy, James, don’t leave Percival’s side alright?”

“Trust me, I’m sticking to him like superglue.” Eggsy’s attempt at humor falls flat since he still looks shook from his near choking.

After years in the business, Harry’s become more of a skeptical believer than the vocal skeptic he started as, but right now he prefers to be overly cautious rather than sorry. Maybe it’s their own minds playing tricks on them, but they’ve already lost Roxy, he’s not taking any more risks, especially not during dead hour.

Merlin is clearly unhappy with his decision, but he doesn’t try to challenge Harry’s leadership, his worry for Roxy probably superseding everything else.

They’re both at the head of their little group as they slowly make their way down the winding corridor that leads to the only other “room” in the basement. According to the plans, it should be all there is to this floor, but they’ve investigated enough old buildings to know it’s not necessarily accurate.

There is a high possibility that there are rooms that aren’t indicated on any maps and that have been left forgotten through the years with the many changes of ownership.

Their systematic checking for something the likes of a hidden door pays off not a minute after James tells him that this is the area Roxy suddenly became silent, their flashlights revealing a gap in the wall. It’s big enough for an adult to fit through and they can see the space widening and becoming a proper corridor.

“I swear this wasn’t here before.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Harry is pretty sure he and Roxy simply didn’t notice, but he’ll give James the benefit of a doubt until he can check their recordings, “but we can’t chalk it off either way.”

“But what if Rox is in the main room?”

Eggsy raises a very good point, but before he can say anything, Merlin speaks up, proving that once again, they are on the same wavelength.

“That’s why you, James and Percival are continuing on that way.”

“Didn’t we _just_ agreed to stay together?”

“Yes, but we don’t know if Roxy is hurt or not. We can’t afford to lose time. And since we can’t separate you from Percival, it’s only common sense that me and Harry go together. We know each other best, it’s doubtful we won’t notice if anything tries to take the other’s place. And you both will notice if something’s wrong with James.”

It’s a logic no one can argue with, but Harry sees Eggsy and Percival opening and closing their mouths a few times before nodding in agreement. Judging by their expressions, they’re not happy about it, but it’s not like they’ve any other choices.

“If you don’t find Roxy, come back here and wait for us. We’ll do the same. And if you find any other hidden corridor, don’t follow it. Just mark it up and we’ll check it out once we’ve met up again.”

He’s about to get through the gap when Eggsy grabs him by the arm and pulls until he stops.

“I know you don’t believe, but just take this okay?”

For the first time since he’s known him, Eggsy removes the medallion he always wears around his neck, the one he’s always said was to ward off evil spirits. The same one his late father had gotten him when he was young and just starting to develop his abilities. Harry wants to refuse, because he knows just how important the medallion is to Eggsy, but one look at the boy is enough to know he won’t let Harry go until he takes the protection.

So instead, Harry leans down until Eggsy can put it around his neck himself. When he turns to see if Merlin is ready to go, he’s only half surprised to see that Percival has decided to mirror Eggsy’s actions with his cross.

If Harry had had any doubts that Merlin thought there was any other explanation than spirits for their experiences tonight, this moment would be enough to put them to rest. Merlin would never be so insensitive as to refuse Percival’s attempt at protecting him in this small way, but he wouldn’t have looked so solemn about it otherwise.

*

The sounds of the others’ footsteps have barely faded away when both of their flashlights stop working at the exact same time. It’s pitch black without them and the oppressive atmosphere surrounding them only gets worst.

“Should we try the spare batteries in case this is just a spooky coincidence?” Even as he asks it, Harry is getting his own out of his pockets. He’s sure they won’t work any better, but they still have to try.

He’s right of course, Merlin cursing a blue streak, as if he expected any different.

“What do we do?”

The prudent thing would be to go back, but that would also mean the possibility of abandoning Roxy for at least another hour. That’s not something either of them are willing to do.

“We keep going, the corridor didn’t seem too large, so we stay side by side with a hand to the wall in case it turns or branches off.”

“Alright, sounds like a good plan.”

That’s the only signal they need before they start walking again. For anyone else, it would be a statement to their long years of friendship, but truth be told, they’ve always been in sync together, no matter how much they tried to deny it when they first met.

Still, it startles him when Merlin grabs his hand and keeps holding, tugging on it to make sure Harry is really following. He can’t pretend he didn’t want to do the same, but it’s the first time either of them have acted on this thing between them. They haven’t even _talked_ about it before, so Harry’s got a right to be slightly thrown off.

However, considering the mess they’re currently in, he’ll take all the comfort he can get and he’ll freely admit in the privacy of his own mind that he’s glad Merlin found the courage to make the first move.

“The things you drag me into, I swear…” Merlin’s words are exasperated of course, but there is also no denying the fondness in his voice and Harry cannot fight off his smile.

“I’ll remind you that you were the one who got the call for the Manor.”

“And it’s _your_ show.”

“You’re the one who got me into the ghost hunting business in the first place!”

“It was supposed to be _one_ time as a fun Halloween activity! It wasn’t supposed to turn into this! If it wasn’t for you, I could be working as Head Technician for Valentine by now.”

When they first began doing the show, this part of their bickering always made Harry feel guilty, but now he just snorts. If Merlin had truly prefered that career path, he would have pursued it and never looked back.

“And you’d be so bloody _bored_. Not to forget you’d miss seeing my face every day.”

“I don’t know, I could use a break from that one.”

“Liar!”

For once, Merlin doesn’t deny the claim and Harry’s heart starts beating slightly faster from something other than the absolute terror this place invoke in him.

“What about you? I mean,” Merlin continues when Harry makes a questioning sound, “what would you do if it wasn’t for the show?”

He takes a while before answering, because honestly, he’s never really thought about it. He’s well-off enough financially that he wouldn’t really need to work a day in his life, but he’d also be bored out of his mind.

“Probably a job in accounting at Valentine corp? I’ve always been good with numbers.”

It’s Merlin’s turn to snort in amused disbelief.

“You _hate_ anything that’s remotely close to accounting even if you’re good at it. And anyway, why would you even want to work at Valentine’s?”

That question, unlike the previous one, is easy to answer.

“Because you’d be there.”

There’s a long silence and only the fact that Merlin keeps tugging on his hand reassures him that he’s not broken his friend somehow.

“Come on Harry… You can’t base your life’s decisions on what I do…”

“Why not? You’re the most important part of it and I trust you to never lead me astray.” There is something about the absolute darkness that makes him almost brutally honest, as if not being seen means he doesn’t have to hide anything.

“Harry…” He might be wrong, but he thinks Merlin’s voice is choked up on emotions. He can only hope they’re good ones.

“And I’ve always been good at following your lead. Just like right now.” He presses Merlin’s hand to underline his point, frowning when Merlin makes a confused sound.

“What do you mean _right now_?”

“Well, just that you’re a bit in front of me.”

“No… _You_ ’ve been in front of me since you’ve grabbed my hand.”

Harry shivers, only now realising just how _cold_ and _small_ the hand he’s holding feels and that Merlin’s voice has always come directly from his side.

“I don’t think that’s my hand.”

He stops walking and lets the hand go.

There is no word to express his relief when he feels Merlin’s warm arm settle beside his own as he probably does the same, even if he’s also beyond terrified.

That’s also the exact moment when their flashlights start working again and even if the sudden brightness blinds them too much to see anything at first, they distinctly hear a child’s laughter.

A _very_ creepy laughter and the only reason Harry doesn’t turn back and run all the way home is because the moment he can see without spots flashing in front of his eyes, he notices Roxy’s form lying on the floor.

She’s barely ten meters away from them and as they hurry to her side, he prays to all the gods and goddesses that he knows of that she is only unconscious and not worse.

“She’s breathing, she’s breathing.”

Merlin repeats it several time and Harry doesn’t mind, would turn it into a bloody song if he could, because _she’s breathing_ and, giving the way her eyelids flutter, she’s also _waking up_.

“Merlin? Harry? What, what are you doing here?”

“We were looking for you,” Merlin explains as he helps her into a sitting position while Harry checks her for any possible injuries. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I- I was with James… Oh my god James, where’s James?”

“He’s fine, he’s okay, I promise. We need to know why you went on your own.”

“I didn’t? Or well, I don’t think so. I heard- I _thought_ I heard a kid and I noticed the gap in the wall and I couldn’t leave a kid down here alone during dead hour… I told James we should check it out and I swear he was following me. But he was so silent and then my flashlight stopped working and then it- it’s just darkness.”

That’s all Harry can take anymore and he doesn’t even bother asking Roxy if she can walk, just hefts her in his arms and motions at Merlin to lead the way. She can yell at him about boundaries and asking permission when they are back in the safety of their cars.

The corridor seems much shorter on the way back and Harry chalks it up on them having lights now, because all the other explanations are too scary to envision now.

The others are already waiting for them when they get to the gap and they all look ready to snatch Roxy from his hold when they see her.

That doesn’t happen of course, mostly because he needs to set her down on her feet if they want a chance to fit through the gap and now that she’s standing on her own, she’d probably skin them alive if they tried to carry her. She doesn’t complain however when Eggsy wraps his arm around her waist to support part of her weight and when James moves closer to flank her other side.

They don’t linger in the basement longer than they have to and they don’t even look in the ballroom’s direction when they get to the first floor, simply making a beeline for the front doors.

A heavy weight seems to lift off from their shoulders as they step outside and Harry has never liked the smell of fresh night air as much as he does now.

They’ll have to go back in for their equipment of course, but right now what they need is to get back to their cars and hopefully get some sleep until the sun is way up in the sky.

He’s just about to open the passenger door, not surprised when he sees Eggsy has decided to follow Roxy in the second car, when Merlin stops him, a hand wrapped carefully around his elbow.

“What is it?”

“About what you were saying earlier… I know we’re not leaving now but when we do… would you follow me home?” Merlin’s smile is hopeful and Harry finds himself answering with one of his own.

“I’d like that, yes.”


	3. This could be their first kiss

“If I had known I would have to come get you out of bed every morning, I would never have accepted to keep on working with you.”

Harry only mumbles something that sounds like ‘ _five more minutes please_ ’ before hiding his head under the blankets and Merlin sighs in exasperation.

It doesn’t matter that he sleeps over in Harry’s guest room most nights and thus, he’s already there to wake him up, he’d still rather not have to go through the daily struggle.

He’s inching toward the bed, ready to see if his newest tactic of just pushing Harry out of bed will keep being successful, when he’s stopped in his tracks by the doorbell.

He wars with himself for a moment, wondering whether or not he should ignore it since this is not his house after all, but good manners finally win when it’s clear that even a potential visitor isn’t enough to will Harry out of bed.

He’s glad he chose to do so when he opens the door on Daisy, the little girl looking distraught.

“Daisy? Are you okay?”

“Uncle Merlin! I- I need your help!”

She throws herself in his arms and starts crying and for a terrifying moment, Merlin fears that somehow, something happened to Michelle even with Kingsman protection. They’re not infallible of course, but Kingsman has always protected their own and their family, one of the reasons Michelle is comfortable enough to leave her daughter alone while she goes to work. There is always someone not far and Daisy knows who to call in case of trouble.

Before he can imagine too many horrible scenarios, Daisy’s words register and he feels himself relax a little.

“I didn’t mean to, I didn’t know the backyard door was open, I just wanted to play with him outside, but it was open and he ran too fast and-”

“Daisy, Daisy,” he does his best to keep his voice comforting, hoping to calm her a little, “do you mean that JB ran away?”

“Yes,” he feels her nodding against his chest and he leans away to get a good look at her. Her eyes are still filled with tears and she seemed deeply upset, her chin quivering as she does her best to hold back more sobs. “I didn’t mean to.”

“We’re sure you didn’t princess.” That’s from Harry, finally gracing them with his presence. He’s obviously found the strength to get out of bed and dress himself while Merlin was dealing with Daisy’s little breakdown. He must have heard her crying however, because he seemed to have skipped on most of his usual morning routine and his hair curls in annoyingly attractive curls. “We’ll help you find him, he cannot have gone far.”

“I’ll pay you!”

They both freeze for a moment, not quite understanding what prompted her into this.

“What? Why would you want to pay us?”

“Because you’re detectives and that’s your job and I’m responsible and one part of being responsible is accepting the consequences.”

Merlin wonders if the last bit is her parroting Eggsy or Harry, but quite frankly, it’s not that important right now. She isn’t wrong exactly, some of the jobs they take on are indeed just looking for missing animals, but they usually do those _pro bono_. In fact, they don’t accept the payments for most of the job they take on, or settle on far less than they could ask for if it’s a matter of pride for their client. It’s not like they really need the work, they just need to occupy their days after finally retiring from Kingsman.

“You’re right about all this, but we won’t accept any payments from you Princess.”

“Eggsy would make me pay you.”

He nearly scoffs at this. As if Eggsy had ever done anything but spoil the little girl rotten.

“Eggsy wouldn’t,” he assures her, before elaborating at her doubtful expression. “And I know he wouldn’t because our first case was looking all over London for JB for him because that dog is an escape artist.”

“Was it really?”

“Yes. He needed to leave on a trip, so he came to us. He’s the reason we decided to add ‘animal rescue’ to the list of services we offer.”

“Oh…”

She still seems a bit suspicious, but luckily what Harry tells her next finishes to convince her that they won’t accept anything from her.

“And we didn’t make him pay, so we won’t make you pay either. Now that that matter is settled, let me grab a few muffins for me and Merlin and some treats to entice JB to come back and we’re set to go.”

“Eggsy says JB can’t have treats anymore.”

“Well Eggsy isn’t here and what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”

Merlin isn’t sure he agrees with that, but really, that’s not an argument he wants to get into with Harry, especially not in front of Daisy.

*

It takes them about ten minutes to be entirely ready to leave, much of it involving Merlin calling Michelle at her workplace to let her know they are spending the day out with Daisy and one call to their office so that Chantelle won’t worry about them not coming in and so that she knows she has first pick in any cases today. He also grabs one of the extra leashes that has somehow found its way to Harry’s house since he sincerely doubts Daisy has had the forethought of bringing one herself.

She seems a bit impatient, but she doesn’t complain at what she must think is an unnecessarily slow pace.

But even if finding JB sooner rather than later would be best for all parties involved, Merlin is certain that the pug has not wandered off too far. At his age the call of the wild isn’t as attractive as regular meals and petting sessions.

“At least it’s a nice day outside.”

“You just _had_ to,” Merlin groans, eyeing the sky suspiciously, searching for any traces of clouds.

“What do you mean?”

“That it will probably start to rain in a few minutes because you feel the need to tempt the fates no matter what.” He still has nightmares about the stuff Harry would get up to on missions because ‘ _it’s fine Merlin, I can do it, what’s the worst that can happen?_ ’ That he hadn’t said anything of the likes before getting shot in the head and left for dead is the only reason Merlin can still tease him about that without wanting to vomit.

“Merlin,” Harry sighs in a mocking tone, a hand gently patting his shoulder, “retirement was supposed to make you less paranoid. Not more. How can you think meteorological events are out to get you?”

“Not me specifically, just people dumb enough not to show proper fear.”

“I have the number for a very good psychologist you know.” Merlin has the same number squirreled away in his files, perks of being a retired Kingsman, and he’ll only consider calling the day Harry does the same. Which probably means never.

“Fuck you Hart.”

“Is that any way to speak around a child?”

“Maybe if the child wasn’t you.”

“I meant Daisy.”

He looks at the little girl a few paces in front of them, still calling out for JB. She looks the picture of innocence that way, just a bairn worried for her dog, but he’s babysat her enough times to know that while she isn’t a devil, she’s no angel either.

“Pretty sure she’s said worst.”

“How dare you slander her this way.” If he was a Knight of old, Merlin is pretty sure Harry would have challenged him in a duel to defend her name right this moment.

“She’s an Unwin that’s been hanging around the shop since she could walk. If she hasn’t picked up on worse than a simple ‘ _fuck you_ ’, she’s either deaf or our ex-colleagues have been replaced by pod people.”

Harry inclines his head to show he concedes Merlin’s point, an amused little smile showing that he no longer cares about whether or not he wins or loses their stupid arguments.

Neither does Merlin to be entirely honest, he just likes the familiar back and forth that kept them going for all those years, the reassurance that if Harry is still there to tease him right back then everything is right with the world.

“Uncle Merlin! Uncle Harry! I think I see him!”

Before they can tell her to wait, Daisy starts running down the back alley and they can see in the distance a pug scampering away from her.

They’ve got no choice but to run after them, any hopes they had that it would be a quick affair painfully quashed when Daisy loses sight of JB after he rounds a corner.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, that’s about when they hear thunder rumble in the distance.

Harry doesn’t even have the decency to look sheepish.

*

They find JB happily rolling around in a mud puddle in the park a few corners away from the Mews.

By then they’re all drenched to the bones even if it has stopped raining and Merlin cannot remember the last time he’s felt this miserable. The only upside is that it’s not so cold outside that he fears any of them catching their death, even if he’ll insist on a hot shower being their first stop once they make it back home. At least for Daisy. He’ll insist on Harry giving JB a good bath in the backyard before he’s allowed to even step inside. It will serve him right to tempt the fates like he did, the old prick.

He worries for a moment that the pug will start running again when he spots them, but he’s clearly had his fun because he comes trotting over to Daisy when she calls out to him and gobbles the treats Harry has gotten out to entice him away from his puddle. He doubts that last would have been truly necessary, but trying to stop Harry from pampering a dog would be like convincing Eggsy to stop breaking speed limits when he drives. In other words, highly unlikely, bordering on the miraculous.

He lets Daisy pet the dog for about a minute before hooking the leash on his collar and JB must sense that Merlin isn’t in a good mood because he comes stand at his heels without having to be told.

“Alright, let’s go home, we all need a good bath.”

Although it’s only home for Daisy and JB, Merlin has long since stopped feeling self-conscious calling their house that. He might not even live at Stanhope Mews himself, if one ignores the fact he’s more often over at Harry’s than he is at his own flat, but the Unwins have been family for years now. Or at least the idea Merlin has of what having a normal extended family should be. Kingsman is nice of course, but not even Harry will pretend they’re anything but dysfunctional when they’re considered as a family.

It’s not very long before they make their way back and Harry predictably pouts when Merlin shows him the door to the backyard after giving him JB’s leash. Unfortunately for Harry, Merlin has been immune to his pout for a good twenty years now and he’s still a bit pissed at the man. Oh, not enough that he’s unable to admit that his friend was right and he’s slightly crazy about the whole weather thing, but just enough that he won’t help him hold onto JB while he washes the mud away from his fur.

Still, he does wipe the muddy paw prints on the floor while Daisy showers and puts on dryer clothes.

By the time he gets out a warm shower of his own, he feels in an even more forgiving mood when he notices that Harry must have made a quick run to his house because he’s got some spare clothing waiting on the top of the toilet instead of the one he’s discarded before stepping under the shower.

It makes him remember that while Harry is and always will be a little shite, at least he’s a considerate friend more often than not.

“Can I go take a shower now, oh wise one?” It’s the first thing Harry asks him after he’s made his way downstairs and Merlin would feel a bit bad for making him wait if only the man didn’t seem entirely happy to be sitting on the floor of the living room and helping Daisy set the coffee table for an impromptu tea party.

“All yours,” he waves him off as he takes his place, noting that JB is now sleeping in his little cot, obviously exhausted from his little morning adventures. Lucky bastard.

When Michelle gets home in the early afternoon, Merlin is busy making them all a small lunch, Princess Daisy and King Harry too engrossed in their little games to come help him out, but quite frankly, Merlin doesn’t mind having a quiet moment to himself.

“I’m not even going to ask.” She seems very amused, but after years of them babysitting Daisy, she’s wisen up to the fact that some things were better left unknown.

“I do think it’s better this way,” he agrees anyway. It’ll make for a funny story in a few months surely, but right now Merlin still shiver at the memory of being caught in the rain, running after a dog that’s not even his.

“Tea?”

“ _Please_.” He should have put on a kettle as soon as he stepped into the house, but after so many decades of being a handler and putting his little earthly needs after the safety and comfort of those he was entrusted with, a couple of years of retirement is not enough to make him break bad habits.

Luckily for him, when in the Unwin household, Michelle is more than happy to look after him.

“You should stop letting him drag you into every ridiculous situation he finds himself in,” she’s teasing him and he knows it but it’s still a good thing he didn’t have his cuppa yet because he would probably have choked on the tea.

“If I still haven’t learned how after all these years, I don’t think I stand much of a chance now.”

“You’re probably right.” She nods wisely, but her lips are turned into a grin and before long they burst out laughing. They’re both highly aware of the force of nature Harry Hart is, Merlin for his decades of friendship with the man and Michelle for having tried and horrendously fail not to grow fond of the man she had once blamed for her husband death. “But I really think it’s great though, that you’re still together after all those years. There are so many couples separating after retirement, I would have hated for it to happen to you too.”

There’s a moment of silence while Merlin tries to figure out what to answer.

He can understand Michelle’s mistake, has had to deal with people assuming the same about him and Harry for longer than he’s comfortable to admit, but strangely enough, he’s reluctant to correct her.

They’ve never been a couple, never even discussed the idea, but Merlin would be lying if he said he had never thought about it. Would be lying if he pretended that the reason he decided to follow Harry into early retirement was for any other reason than because he couldn’t imagine his life without the man pestering him daily.

He would be lying if he said that what he felt for Harry was anything but the most profound love he had ever felt for anyone in the world.

Michelle obviously isn’t waiting for any kind of reply because she starts giggling soon after. “Not that you can say you’ve really retired yet, what with your detective agency and all.”

*

It’s a bit late in the night when they finally make it back home, Michelle insisting they stay for dinner after she got a call from Eggsy telling her he would come home soon. Not that they would have needed much convincing besides the promise of one of Michelle’s delicious home cooked meals, but getting to catch up with the young man after nearly a month with no contact was a very nice plus.

Before he can start climbing the stairs, Merlin grabs Harry by the shoulder, but doesn’t say anything when he makes an enquiring sound, waiting for him to turn around and face him.

In lieu of an explanation, he leans close, closer than he’s ever been before, and presses their lips together in a chaste kiss.

He keeps the contact short, but Harry still looks at him a bit dreamily when he steps back, a pleased blush tainting his cheeks.

“Does this mean you’ll stop sleeping in the guest room?” It’s not the slightest bit suave nor flirty, only an honest question that must mean the world to Harry judging by how hesitant he looks.

Merlin could tease him about it and probably would have if they were thirty years younger.

But they’re not and he realises that this moment means as much to him as it does Harry.

“Yes, that’s exactly what it means.”


	4. This could be the happy ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is slightly crack. At first, I was about to make Harry the princess, but then I thought better of it and I believe I made the right choice

_This is the story of the great thief Galahad’s death…_

_Shite, fu- no, no, no! Don’t worry, it’s not actually a sad story!_

_In fact, it’s not even really the thief’s story._

_At least not entirely._

_You see, it all really starts with a single drop of pure magic falling from a black hole directly into the Earth. From that drop grew a flower of the deepest black, but with magical properties the likes no one had even imagined before._

_Unfortunately, the flower was found by Chester, an old and evil Warlock who used it to gain back his youth._

_How?_

_Well, he would probably have said it was through some elaborate incantation, but really he was just singing to the flower._

_Thus the flower was kept hidden for centuries, a mere legend in the Kingdom that none really believed in._

_That is until the pregnant Queen got sick and the King got desperate. And the royal couple was so beloved by their people that for days and days, everyone in the Kingdom set out to find the flower that could save the Queen’s life and that of her unborn child._

_Against all odds, they did find it and from the plant was brewed a remedy that saved the Queen._

_A couple of months later, a healthy baby was born, the Prince with raven hair, Merpunzel._

_As you’ve probably guessed on your own, the story is about him too._

_He was a lovely baby, with the whole Kingdom already wrapped around his pudgy little finger. By all means, he should have had a blessed childhood, cherished by his parents and the people of the land he would one day rule over._

_Unfortunately, that was without counting on the Warlock’s desire of vengeance. For Chester blamed sweet, innocent Merpunzel for falling prey to the ravages of time again and he swore that if he was to die, so would the child._

_One stormy night, Chester sneaked into the nursery, chanting a killing curse._

_Luckily for the Prince, the Warlock noticed that his midnight hair seemed to be reacting to his will like the flower did and before he could complete his spell, he tried the incantation that he had used to gain back his youth._

_The effects were the same, Chester no longer a wrinkly old man. In a newfound magnanimity, the Warlock decided to allow the child to live and to only leave with his hair. Which would have been all good and well, except for a tiny detail._

_Once cut, the hair lost all its magical properties._

_And so, instead of merely taking Merpunzel’s black hair, he stole the child away from his parents, from his Kingdom, and locked him away in a tall tower far away from the castle._

_Wha- Why are you crying? The story doesn’t end here sillyegg! Merpunzel hasn’t even met the dashing thief Galahad yet!_

_Here, here, dry your tears and smile for me? I’ll leave all of Galahad’s daring adventures for another night and tell you how he found Merpunzel right away instead._

_It was about twenty years later and the Prince was still hidden away in his tower, his hair longer than any hair had a right to be -- no really, it was like... three times his height? Which wouldn’t have been so bad if he was a lilliputian but the man was like more than six feet tall. It was unbelievable -- and the Warlock had managed to convinced Merpunzel that the outside world was far too dangerous to be ventured in. Which apparently didn’t apply to Chester because he was coming and going from the tower quite regularly. But in Merpunzel’s defence, critical thinking wasn’t really something Chester had an interest in teaching him._

_Anyway, even if he believed Chester’s lies about the rest of the world, Merpunzel couldn’t help but be curious about it. A fact that wasn’t helped by the lanterns that would fly in the sky once a year. That was_ the _one thing he dreamed he could see from closer,_ the _one thing he felt unexpectedly drawn to._

_It wasn’t that strange if you knew Merpunzel’s real identity and what the lanterns were._

_Because you see, the King and the Queen, even after all those years, hadn’t given up on their child and neither had the people of their Kingdom. And so, in the hopes of guiding him home, they released lanterns every year, each one a wish for the Prince’s safe return._

_Of course, Merpunzel had no way of knowing what they were and even if he truly wanted to go to them, Chester would never have allowed him to leave the tower. Luckily, the Prince was cunning and tricked Chester into leaving for long enough a time that he could sneak out and come back with the Warlock none the wiser._

That _’s when Galahad and Merpunzel met._

_You see, Galahad had just stolen what would have been the Prince’s coronet from the castle and needed a place to stay low. Then what looked like an abandoned tower in the middle of a hidden clearing seemed like the perfect place to do so._

_Which it would have been, if it had really been empty._

_Since it wasn’t, Galahad was knocked unconscious by Merpunzel after he successfully scaled the tower up to its only entrance, the window._

_Once he woke up, tied to a chair by Merpunzel’s hair -- seriously the hair wasn’t only crazy-long, but it seemed to have a life of its own. And sure, it was_ magic _hair, but it was still very weird -- anyway, once he woke up, they came to an agreement that in exchange of Merpunzel giving back the coronet, Galahad would guide him to the floating lanterns._

 _The trip was far more eventful than you would have expected, Merpunzel befriending all the bandits and ruffians on their way, convincing Mr Pickle the guardhorse -- yeah I know Mr Pickle is a silly name, but don’t let him hear you say that, I still have the hooves mark from when_ I _did -- so he convinced the guardhorse to let them go to the castle to see the lanterns. They even escaped from some of Galahad’s old associates who wanted the coronet for themselves._

_But the most important part is that, somewhere along the way, they became friends. They started to trust each other, enough so that Galahad revealed his real name to Merpunzel, feeling incredibly pleased when the Prince started calling him Harry instead. The trust between them was so strong that Merpunzel even admitted that he feared what would happen once he had lived his dream of seeing the lanterns. What would he be left with afterward?_

_A new dream, was Harry’s easy answer, because that’s the thing you need to remember with dreams, sillyegg, there will always be another one._

_And so reassured, Merpunzel followed Harry until they had found the perfect spot to watch the floating lanterns._

_It should have been enough for a happy ending, but they had forgotten a tiny key detail._

_Chester._

_Somehow sensing he was being made a fool of, he had gone back earlier to the tower only to find it empty and went into a cold rage. How dare Merpunzel repay him for everything he had done for him by leaving the tower while he was away? Had he not raised him all by himself? Made sure he was fed? Brought him back a few books so he wouldn’t be too bored?_

_Clearly that had been one freedom to many._

_As soon as he would have him back, he would chain him in the tower and make him forget any thoughts of the outside world._

_Upon finding out that Merpunzel was with the thief Galahad however, the Warlock started devising a plan that would make the Prince come back with him willingly and not want anything more to do with what was outside of his tower._

_He teamed up with Galahad’s previous associates, offering them money, the coronet and a chance at revenge in exchange for their collaboration._

_They managed to separate the two friends, leaving Galahad to the mercy of the Royal Guards and Chester somehow convincing Merpunzel that the thief had only ever been after the coronet and did not care one bit about him. Feeling utterly betrayed, Merpunzel actually begged Chester to get him back to the tower._

_Hey no, no, don’t worry sillyegg, it doesn’t end here!_

_Because Mr Pickle, even if he has a silly name, is a good boy, and with some help from all the bandits and ruffians Merpunzel had befriended, helped Harry escape out of jail so he could go save the Prince._

_Meanwhile, Merpunzel, who might have grown up sheltered but wasn’t an idiot, had kind of realised that Chester didn’t actually have his best interests at heart and was more concerned about his hair than his well-being._

_Oh and also, that he was probably the lost Prince that Harry had told him about and thus, that Chester wasn’t even his father._

_Unfortunately, Chester was still a powerful Warlock and he would only let Merpunzel leave over his dead body..._

 

 

“Merpunzel! Watch out!”

He turns away from Chester in time to see the dagger that was flying at him, glowing with a sickly green, only to realise that there’s no way he’ll ever get away from its path.

Or he wouldn’t have, if not for Harry barrelling into him and pushing him away from the dagger’s trajectory. Which would have been all well and good, if only that had not mean that the thief would be the one getting stabbed in his stead.

He’s about to run to his side, but unfortunately, Harry had pushed him practically into Chester’s arms and the Warlock hadn’t lost any time before grabbing him by the hair to stop him from running away.

“Tsk, what a fool. I don’t know how you escaped the dungeons, but you just threw your freedom away for nothing.”

“He’s not- He’s not nothing!” Merpunzel might not know a lot about injuries, but he knows that if Harry had difficulty talking already, it couldn’t be good.

He winces when Chester starts laughing, forgetting about his hold on his hair.

“Oh my! This is priceless! I can’t believed it!” He’s not sure what the older man finds so amusing, but Harry has never seem more proud, more defiant than in this moment, scowling at Chester through the pain. “You went and fell in love! How pathetic!”

He gasps at the revelation, can barely believe it, but Harry doesn’t deny the claim, simply stare coldly back at the Warlock.

“Please,” it’s Merpunzel that breaks the silence, surprising even himself. But now that he’s spoken, he finds that he cannot stop. “Please, let me save him. _Please_.”

“And why would I do that?” How he ever mistook the disgust and contempt on Chester’s face before for fondness and concern, he’ll never know.

“Because if you do, I’ll come with you willingly and never try to escape. I promise.”

He ignores Harry’s attempts at protesting. This is his choice to make.

“ _Please_ ,” he begs again, flinching when Chester starts laughing cruelly. He sighs in relief when the Warlock releases his hold on his hair however.

“Alright, I’ll allow it. But if either of you try something, I’ll kill him.”

He’s already at his friend’s side, but before the first word of the chant can even get past his lips however, Harry rips the dagger from his side and in the same movement, cuts his hair. The locks, once a midnight black, turn grey like ashes as they fall onto the ground.

Merpunzel can’t see it, but the same transformation happens to the hair still on his head, the magic fading from every single strand. However, even if he could have seen it, it would have mattered to him as much as Chester’s dying scream. That is to say, not at all.

How can he focus on anything but trying to stop Harry from bleeding to death from his mortal wound?

But the song he had known by heart from as far back as he could remember is no longer working, the magic not responding like it should be.

“Harry, no, no, no, why did you do this,” he doesn’t care that he’s crying, doesn’t even really feel it, his hands pressing desperately against Harry’s wound. “I could have saved you!”

“So that I would live in a world knowing you aren’t free?” Harry’s chuckles rapidly turn into bloody coughs and it takes several excruciating seconds before he finds his breath again. “It wouldn’t have been a life for either of us.”

“Harry, Harry no, please you have to stay with me, it’s… it’s you, you’re my new dream!”

“And so are you…” His smile is sad and Merpunzel wants to shake him, yell at him to fight it, but what good would it do? He can feel him fade away even faster than the magic left his hair. “But that’s the thing about dreams… you’ll find a new one again…”

Harry closes his eyes and no matter how much Merpunzel shakes him, he doesn’t open them again.

Broken hearted, Merpunzel lays his head on Harry’s unmoving chest and cries, sobbing through the song that he had once happily sang for the one he thought to be his father. It’s too late now, nothing he can do will bring him back to him. This is not a fairy tale. True love holds no magic in the real world.

When a warm hand settles on the back of his neck and he realises that the chest his laying on is rising and falling calmly, when he looks up to see Harry looking at him with wonder and love, Merpunzel remembers that he actually knows very little of the real world.

He probably has a lot to learn in fact and he’ll start with the feel of Harry’s lips on his own.

 

 

_They returned to the castle after that, Harry welcomed like a hero for reuniting the lost Prince and his parents, Merpunzel finding out for the first time what it felt like to be home._

_And then they got married, adopted a child and lived happily ever after._

_And now sillyegg, it’s time to sleep for real or your Da will get angry at your Papa and I’ll have to change the ending to “they lived happily ever after until Merpunzel grew tired of his husband and filed for a divorce”._

_Yeah, I don’t care for such an ending either._

_Sweet dreams Eggsy._


End file.
